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The 56th US Presidential Inauguration will take place on Tuesday, January 20th, although the festivities begin this weekend. The traditional parade will take place Tuesday afternoon after the swearing-in ceremony. Of the many parade participants, here are just a few that deserve a closer view.
1. Azalea Trail Maids
The Azalea Trail Maids of Mobile, Alabama are a group of 50 high school senior girls who dress in pastel 19th-century hoop skirts and serve as representatives of Mobile. The Maids appeared in the 2005 Inaugural Parade and were surprised to be invited again this year. Comments made by Alabama’s NAACP President Edward Vaughn produced a flurry of news stories and discussions on whether the Maids were appropriate for this inauguration. Vaughn said the dresses reminded him of slavery, and the Maids would make Alabama the laughingstock of the nation. Vaughn has since apologized for his remarks.
2. Lawn Rangers
The World Famous Lawn Rangers of Arcola, Illinois are a precision drill team of men who march with brooms and lawn mowers. They aren’t at all serious about it, and they aren’t all that precise. But they have attracted some high-profile members like Dave Barry, and Barack Obama even marched with them in 2003. See a video of the Lawn Rangers in action.
3. Moon Buggy
For the first time, NASA will be represented in the inaugural parade this year by a lunar vehicle. Astronaut Michael Gernhardt will drive the moon buggy prototype designed for a moon mission planned for about twelve years from now. The crew of the space shuttle Endeavor’s latest mission will also march in the parade.
4. Tuskeegee Airmen
The Tuskeegee Airmen, who fought valiantly in World War II, were featured in the presidential inauguration once before, in 1949. But that was only a flyover, and they never got anywhere near the actual inauguration. This year will be different. The 250 surviving members of the all-black unit will be honored guests with seats at the swearing-in ceremony. They will ride vintage cars in the parade, and president Obama plans a special salute to the Airmen, all now in their 80s and 90s.
5. Lesbian and Gay Band Association
The Lesbian and Gay Band Association will send an all-star marching band to the inaugural parade. This will be the first year that an openly gay group has been invited to participate in the parade. The LGBA is a confederation of 34 different marching bands and orchestras around the world. The band will perform five songs, the “Washington Post March” by John Philip Sousa, “Ode to Joy,” by Ludwig van Beethoven, “Hold On, I’m Comin’”, popularized by Sam and Dave, “Brand New Day,” from the Broadway musical The Wiz, and “Manhattan Beach” by John Philip Sousa.
6. Soapbox Derby Car
The South Cobb High School Blue Eagle marching band is one of several high school bands invited to the inaugural parade. One member of the band, 14-year-old drummer drummer Devin Robinson suffers from a neuromuscular disease and requires a vehicle in order to participate. Devan Seabaugh, the soapbox car enthusiast who brought soapbox derby racing to Marietta, came up with the solution.
Seabaugh looked on the wall of his office at Metro Atlanta Ambulance Service, where he is vice president, and studied the picture of himself in a soapbox derby car built for an adult.“I said, ‘This would work.’ I’ve got this car I built for adults to race. It’s called a celebrity car for people like the mayor to race to open the soapbox derby,” Seabaugh said.
Seabaugh’s car will become part of history as Robinson and his drums ride in the parade. Devin’s father, Gerald D. Robinson will push him in the soapbox derby car with a specially-installed handle.
Band director Zach Cogdill saw the car Tuesday night. “It’s perfect,” he said. “It can not be more perfect. It’s exactly what I wanted. It fits in with the parade. It fits in with the nostalgia of the event.”
7. Suurimmaanitchuat Dancers
The Suurimmaanitchuat Dancers of Barrow, Alaska are a 22-member troupe that has performed together for 20 years. They are the only native Alaskan group invited to the inaugural parade. They almost didn’t get on the roster. Member Rex Okakok was told over and over that it was too late to apply for the parade. But his persistance paid off as the invitation finally came. The Suurimmaanitchuat Dancers perform traditional Eskimo dances plus some modern innovations, including an Elvis dance and a dance that imitates a stewardess giving pre-flight instructions.
8. 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an unit of African-American soldiers with white officers who fought during the Civil War. The group’s exploits were brought to the modern public in the 1989 movie Glory. OK, the actual infantry won’t be marching in the inaugural parade, but Civil War re-enactors known as 54th’s Company A will portray the unit in Tuesday’s parade. The re-enactors are based in Boston and formed after seeing the movie Glory. Some of the members are descendants of the original 54th Infantry.
The inaugural parade will begin at 2:30 Tuesday, January 20th and will begin at Lafayette Square, proceed along Pennsylvania Avenue, and will end at the Capitol Reflecting Pool.
Comments (17)
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Miss C…it’s good to “see” you (read you???) again!
posted by beth on 1-15-2009 at 9:46 am
Thanks, beth. I’ve been under the weather in more ways than one -sick AND my furnace went out!
Captcha: week totaled (how appropriate)
posted by Miss Cellania on 1-15-2009 at 10:06 am
From what I understand (thank you anthropology 101!), if you call an inuit an “eskimo” to their face you’re likely to get punched. Apparently it’s a derogatory term that is equivilent to saying the “n-word” to an african-american person. It seems like younger generations are slightly more sensitive about this than the older folk.
posted by mandragora on 1-15-2009 at 10:11 am
That’s the first I’ve heard of that. I used the term “traditional Eskimo dances” because that’s what the linked article says.
posted by Miss Cellania on 1-15-2009 at 10:17 am
“Plus some modern innovations, including an Elvis dance and a dance that imitates a stewardess giving pre-flight instructions.”
HAHAHAHA!!! Love it. Is this parade televised?
posted by Lindsey on 1-15-2009 at 10:45 am
Thanks for including the Azalea Trail Maids in this list. I thought they were a weird choice at first for this inaugeration but am proud that the girls get to go. These girls compete to be selected to represent Mobile and represent the top of their class. I even tried out as a senior myself and couldn’t make the cut.
posted by Hope on 1-15-2009 at 11:37 am
Okay, I’ve done a bit more research and it appears as though “eskimo” commonly refers to the combination of 2 different groups, the Yupik and Inuit. On some sites it appears as though some might even consider it an endearing term (which I’m assuming is the case for the dancers). There is definitly a movement toward doing away with the word though…perhaps the situation is more akin to calling a native american an “Indian”? There does appear to be a group or 2 that are more than a little offended by the term.
Not that we’re going to run into an Inuit any time soon, but it’s good to know in any case.
posted by mandragora on 1-15-2009 at 11:41 am
My understanding is that the term eskimo is used in Alaska while inuit is used in the Canadian Territories.
posted by Sylvia on 1-15-2009 at 11:52 am
Let’s see. The hoop skirts remind someone of salvery, but the infantry men do not? If you don’t want to be reminded of slavery it shouldn’t matter what’s jogging the memory. Craziness
posted by Sneezy on 1-15-2009 at 12:38 pm
I think the author needs to recheck what number president the nation is on…….
posted by Matt on 1-15-2009 at 1:10 pm
I didn’t vote for Obama, but from a history buff perspective I am psyched about this inaguration. When I read that the Tuskeegee airmen will be honored in such a way after so many years I actually got choked up. That is so awesome.
posted by KerriH on 1-15-2009 at 1:37 pm
“Eskimo” means “eater of raw meat” and to my knowledge, yes, it is considered an insult to the Inuit nations.
more on that:
Indian is now “First Nations”
East Indian is now “South Asian”
and I don’t think it’s just Canada… unless mebbe we are more politically correct… after all, we let our gay people marry… I love tweaking you Murricans on that…
posted by Marion on 1-15-2009 at 2:02 pm
Wonderful post w/xlnt info. We commenters seem to be hung up on “political correctness”. This definition should help:
Definition of POLITICAL CORRECTNESS
“Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(this was the winning entry in the 2007 annual Texas A&M Universtity contest for best definition of a contemporary term.)
Miss C, your comments are ALWAYS appropriate. You’re as non-offensive as they come.
posted by DUKE on 1-15-2009 at 2:40 pm
I really enjoyed this!
Thank you!
David.
posted by david koester on 1-15-2009 at 4:57 pm
Hey hey hey…I’m not razzing Miss C for being politically incorrect, I’m rather anti-politically correct…but I’m also anti-being-punched-in-the-face-by-an-angry-Inuit.
Just offering an interesting tid-bit.
posted by mandragora on 1-15-2009 at 5:08 pm
Your on the right track, mandra…., & the chances are you probably won’t get punched in the face by anyone since if any Eskimos are reading this, they’ll know we’re tryin’ to do the right thing. Here’s what mand…is talkin’ about: No links here but GOOGLE up “politically correct terms eskimo” & check out Steve Sailer’s article.
posted by DUKE on 1-15-2009 at 6:07 pm
Oh, and Matt, the author is 100% correct. Although this’ll be our 44th pres, it will be our 56th inauguration. (coupla’ guys served more than 1 term)
posted by DUKE on 1-15-2009 at 6:46 pm